New Delhi: A short film Happy Birthday Joshi has won the award for Best AI Generated Film at the third edition of the International Short Film Festival Goa. Produced by Ajay Devgn and directed by Ansul Kumar Sharma, the film reimagines the origins of the infamous Joshi Virus, a computer virus originating from India in the early 1990s which often spread through infected, shared floppy disks. The film was released on 2 April on YouTube.
“We set out to tell a meaningful story using AI as a tool, and this recognition makes the journey even more special,” the film’s creative director Vatsal Seth wrote on X while sharing the win.
The 15-minute-long film revolves around a boy named Joshi from a small town in Gujarat, who is insecure about his height and looks. As he moves to a bigger city in Gujarat for higher studies, he hopes for a better life and acceptance among his peers. Instead, he is constantly bullied by his batchmates.
Hurt and frustrated, Joshi decides to take revenge by creating a virus that forces computers around the world to display the message “HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHI” on 5 January.
The film is believed to be connected to one of the earliest computer viruses that allegedly originated from India in 1990. Instead of treating the incident purely as a cybercrime story, creative directors Vatsal Seth and Sahil Nayar attempt to humanise its origin, exploring themes of alienation, validation, bullying and the consequences of emotional neglect.
Beneath the theme of science fiction, the film tells the story of a young man desperate for attention. All he wants is to leave a mark on the world like Bill Gates, whose poster hangs in his room.
(Edited by Janaki Pande)